In this Success After Service (SAS) Special Episode of GovCon Unscripted, Chelsea Roberts sits down with Michelle Gardner-Ince, retired Air Force Colonel, former VA executive, and founder of GI Strategic Solutions, to unpack one of the most misunderstood assumptions in government contracting: that certifications alone lead to contracts.

Michelle shares what she learned from fixing and leading the VA’s Veteran-Owned Small Business Certification Program, why “control” is the most common reason companies fail certification, and how veterans and small businesses should rethink past performance, niche strategy, and transition planning. This conversation explores what actually drives awards in GovCon and why relevance, credibility, and trust matter more than logos and labels.

Timestamps:

00:00 – Welcome to GovCon Unscripted

01:00 – Success After Service series introduction

02:00 – Michelle’s Air Force and entrepreneurial background

05:00 – Transitioning from military service to business ownership

07:00 – Entering the VA and fixing VetCert

12:00 – Why control is the #1 certification failure point

18:00 – Veteran-owned certification as an “earned” designation

22:00 – Why chasing certifications misses the real problem

26:00 – Turning rank into relevance and revenue

31:00 – Past performance starts with you

36:00 – The danger of “pass-through” GovCon models

41:00 – Niching down and building credibility inside agencies

46:00 – Final advice for transitioning leaders

Resources:

Michelle Gardner-Ince's LinkedIn profile

GI Strategic Solutions

Chelsea Roberts' LinkedIn profile

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